Brighter than the sun
by DangerousD
Summary: my first fic so be gentle. Caramel gets beat up, cheated on, and kicked out of his home...can Apple Jack fix it all? Caramelapples!T for now and might change later
1. Chapter 1

**A finding**

Apple Jack was happily whistling as she walked the familiar path to sweet apple acres. She had just finished an uneventful day with her friends and was ready get home. As she was walking around the more secluded apple trees, she heard a whimper and a rustle in the bushes.

"Hello? Who's there?" AJ said, stepping closer.

The bushes rustled more, as if something was trying to hide.

"Hey now, don't be scared, I don't mean you any harm," Apple Jack cooed reassuringly as she pushed aside some leaves.

Inside the dark bush was the last pony she expected to see.

"Caramel?" Apple Jack said confused.

"H-hey AJ," Caramel said shakily, hiding further back in the bush.

"What are you doin'?" Apple Jack said tilting her head.

"Oh y-you know just…hanging out," Caramel said nonchalantly, voice still shaking.

"Caramel, come out of there. Now," Apple Jack said flatly.

"…Alright, but don't scream…" Caramel said reluctantly.

"Now why would I-*gasp*" AJ said in horror as she got a good look at Caramel.

He was badly bruised with a black, swollen eye and a bleeding cut on his left cheek.

"W-what happened?" said Apple Jack, coming closer to him.

"It's a long story…" Caramel said weakly.

"And you're gonna tell me as soon as we get to the farm, come on," Apple Jack said taking his left for arm, putting in over her shoulders, and walking on.


	2. Chapter 2

**Late at night**

It was late at night, everypony in sweet apple acres was fast asleep as Apple Jack and Caramel struggled through the door as quietly as they could.

"Almost there," Apple Jack whispered as they walked to a kitchen chair and Caramel eased in it.

"Alright sugar cube, start talkin'," Apple Jack said as she rummaged in the kitchen draw and pulled out band aids and antiseptic.

Caramel was silent as she came over and began doctoring on his cut. He winced as she applied the antiseptic.

"Come on…you use to tell me everything, why not now?" Apple Jack cooed gently, placing the band aid on the cut.

"…It's stupid," Caramel said as she got up and pulled a dish rag off the counter.

"Yer darn right it's stupid, whoever did this to you is stupid and the sooner you tell me who did this, the sooner I can go knock some sense into 'em," Apple Jack said, reaching into the freezer with the rag and pulling it out full of ice.

Caramel hung his head in anger and shame as Apple Jack returned.

"Chin up sugar cube, I was only joking," AJ said, lifting his head revealing his tear soaked face.

"I-I lost it AJ…" Caramel said vaguely as she laid the ice filled rag on his eye.

"Lost what?" AJ said, letting go of his face.

"Everything…m-my job, my home, my best friend, and my…mare," Caramel said weakly.

"What happened?" Apple Jack said.

"It all happen today actually, I'd taken off early from work to prepare for something special…Ditzy even took the last few houses on my route to make sure I got there on time…"

…

"_Lucky I'm home!" Caramel yelled in the general direction of Lucky's room as he threw his saddle bags to the floor._

_The apartment was eerily quiet compared to the normal sounds of Lucky's video games and stereo. No, wait…the stereo was on, but instead of offensive rap or loud rock 'n' roll, it was turned to a lower volume and was playing…smooth jazz?_

"_Lucky?" Caramel called cautiously as her slowly approached Lucky's bedroom door._

_Caramel put his ear to the door. He could hear a soft moaning and the squeak of a mattress._

"_Oh-ah Lucky…I-I'm almost-oooooooooh!"a familiar mares voice wailed in ecstasy._

_Caramel charged through the door, to see his best friend in the world, mercilessly pounding into his beloved from behind._

…

"So how'd you end up like this?" AJ said scratching her head.

"Oh, ha-ha you see I got so angry, that I challenged Lucky to a fight-" Caramel was interrupted by Apple Jack.

"And he whooped you" Apple Jack deduced.

"Ha-ha not exactly, I actually got a good blow in and it knocked him out…but then Windy got mad and…" Caramel trailed off and looked away.

"Oh no Caramel, don't tell me a mare did this to you!" AJ exclaimed, trying to suppress her laughter.

"She's crazy! She took some kinda self-defense class and-and…she's crazy!" Caramel said defensively, throwing his hooves up.

Apple Jack couldn't take it, she bust out in a fit of uncontrollable giggles. Caramel soon joined her.

"Ha-ha, I-I'm sorry sugar cube," Apple Jack said, regaining composer.

"Ha it's alright, it was pretty funny," Caramel said, wiping a joyous tear from his good eye.

They sat in silence.

"Well, thank you for the ice and listen. I guess it's time for me to go," Caramel said, getting to his hooves shakily.

"Whoa, where do you think you're going?" Apple Jack said, pushing him back in his seat.

"I don't know…I guess I'll go stay at Written's-" Caramel was cut off by AJ.

"Yer gonna stay right here, and I'm not gonna argue. Now come on," AJ said, standing next to him expectantly.

Caramel sat there for a moment, weighing his odds of winning an argument against AJ, Then he thought why bother. He could barely walk, and Written Script live all the way on the other side of town…

Caramel sighed, got down, and let AJ help him upstairs.

**Please leave a review, I could use some constructive criticism, and even If you don't have anything constructive to say, positive feedback would be greatly appreciated **


	3. Chapter 3

**Caramel's new job**

_A young Applejack awoke in a grass field filled with buttercups and dandelions. She frolicked around the tall grasses, when she heard her name being called._

_"Applejack, Applejack!" the voice called._

_"Yes, who's there?" Applejack said, looking all around for some pony, when she spotted a little colt running towards her._

_As he got closer, she saw it was..._

_"Caramel!" She squealed running to meet him._

_They began to play the games they use to. Applejack felt so happy, to be laugh with her old friend. Everything was perfect, then Applejack heard a familiar song being sung._

_Mama?" Applejack said, turning to see the figure of her long dead mother in the distance, her hair and apron fluttering in the wind._

_Applejack watched her and listened, the old lullaby luring into a feeling of warmth and safety she hadn't felt in years. She didn't notice the tornado coming behind her mother until it was to late to tell her to run..._

_"Mama! Mama! Caramel, go get my Paw-Caramel!" Applejack screech, when she realized Caramel was being swept up by the tornado too…_

"Ah!" Applejack squealed as she shot out of bed and the rooster crowed.

Applejack had that dream since the untimely death of her parents. She'd play with Caramel in the imaginary field, then her mother, her father, or both would show up, singing the old lullaby they'd sung to her since she was a foal. She found when it was both it was harder to shake, but she'd never had Caramel taken away...it was unsettling, but she had work to do and she couldn't let a silly dream get in her way.

She dashed her face with water, donned her hat and headed downstairs for breakfast before starting work.

"Mornin' everypo-" Applejack stopped short at the sight before her.

Granny Smith was making pancakes, Apple bloom was eating her morning oats, and Caramel was...brushing her hair and putting it in a bow?

"Mornin' Applejack!" Caramel said cheerfully as he finished his work.

"...um Mornin' Caramel..." Applejack said slowly, looking at him incredulously.

"All finished Apple bloom," Caramel said, not noticing Applejack's stare.

Apple bloom hopped down and walked to the nearby mirror on the wall to assess his work.

"You did a good job Caramel, and it didn't take half as long as when Aj does it!" Apple bloom beamed at him.

"Well thank you, Apple bloom...Is everything alright Applejack?" Caramel asked when he noticed the odd look he was being given.

"Huh? Oh it's nothing," Applejack said with a laugh, as she sat and got some pancakes.

Who knew Caramel knew how to style a little filly's mane?

Caramel shrugged, got a plate himself, and sat down across from her.

"Your eye looks better," Aj said, glancing at him before going back to her food.

"Yeah, the ice really helped. I'd probably be hurt a lot worse if you hadn't come around...thanks Aj," Caramel said shyly, staring at her intently.

"No thanks necessary Caramel..." Aj said blushing.

"Oh well ain't that sweet! I swear when I heard that bumpin' around last night, I thought it was Macintosh gettin' in late again. Imagine my surprise this mornin' when Caramel came tipin' down stairs like a cat tryin' to get out of a cleaning. I was plum confused as to why Mac would bring Caramel home, but then I remember that a certain little filly wasn't so little any more..." Granny said with a knowing smile.

"...I don't know what you're talkin' about Granny," Applejack said nonchalantly.

"Now I believe I had that talk with you a while back, but if you need to be refreshed...when a mare and a stallion...well sometimes it's a mare and a mare or a stallion and a stallion, but anyway...when two ponies who love-well now sometimes it ain't really love, sometimes it's just great passion and lust...if fact that's how I met your grand pappy-"

"Granny!" Applejack squealed in embarrassment.

"Hey, where is Mac anyway?" Caramel said quickly, trying to change the subject.

Just as Caramel wondered, Macintosh came in the front door.

"Mornin' everypony," Macintosh yawned, his eyes half open.

"And just where have you been?" Applejack yelled, running up to him.

"Granny!" Mac said pleadingly.

"Aj you leave your brother alone, after all, you had your own company last night," Granny told her, smiling.

"Company?" Mac said puzzled, when he spotted Caramel.

"Hey Macintosh," Caramel said sheepishly.

"...Howdy...uh Caramel?" Mac said, eyes open a little wider.

"Uh-huh?"

"You and Aj rolled in the hay last night?" Mac said amusement clear in his voice.

"No! We did no such thing! I found Caramel hurt in the bushes, and I couldn't rightly leave there. He ain't had no place to go, so he had to sleep here-and he slept in a separate bed away from me, and-and...ugh!" Aj huffed, storming out into the fields.

"Haha, that got'er," Mac said getting some pancakes with a satisfied smile.

Caramel, being a concerned friend, went after the upset Applejack. He looked through the orchard, then the fields, and finally in the barn where he found Applejack looking uncharacteristically somber. If Caramel didn't know any better, he'd say she'd been crying...

A small whimper came out of her and with out thinking, Caramel went up to her and wrapped her in a warm embrace.

"Caramel! W-what are you doing?" Applejack said startled, scrambling out of his forearms quickly.

"Huh? Oh I-I'm sorry, it's just you looked sad and I didn't really know what to do...sorry," Caramel said backing away.

"It's alright Caramel, I...just didn't expect it was all," Aj said solemnly, regretful of pushing away the warm hug.

They stood there in awkward silence for a while, not sure what to do next.

"Well, I guess I should get on with my chores…" Applejack said, walking around Caramel.

"You still go to market on Thursday?" Carmel said, following her.

"Yeah, I got to buck a few more apples for the cart then I'm headed out."

"Can I help?"

"Mm, don't you need to be headed to work? Or is there something you forgot to tell me last night?" Applejack said as she approached a tree and reared back into a strong buck against the tree, sending half of the apple off the tree and into pre-placed buckets.

"No, but did I ever tell you how I got that job?" Caramel said, hoisting a bucket onto his back and dumping it in the nearby cart.

"No I don't think so," Applejack said, picking up a bucket herself.

"Well I had been dating Windy for a while, and so naturally I met her parents. I think her mom liked me, but her Dad hated my guts and still does…but anyway, I didn't have a job at the time and he's the post master…" Caramel let her fill in the blanks.

"So to keep is daughter from dating a deadbeat he gave you a job?" Applejack said, very amused.

"Pretty much."

"…So now that you're not with her anymore…"

"My ass is fired."

Applejack stopped and thought this over a minute as Caramel went to retrieve the last bucket.

"Hey Caramel…" Applejack said, face still scrunched in thought.

"Yeah?" Caramel said coming back to the cart.

"How would you like to work here again? We can't pay you too much, but you can sleep and eat here 'til you get back on your hooves," Applejack said as he dumped the contents of the bucket into the cart.

"Seriously?" Caramel said, disbelieving.

"Do I ever lie?" Aj said with a smile.

"Woohoo! Oh Applejack, I promise I be the best work horse on the farm!" Caramel yelled with glee.

**Plz read and reviwe**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'll explain this chapter in the closing note, cause I think it might need it.**

* * *

><p><strong>A Visit<strong>

The days that followed Caramel's employment were very pleasant to say the least. Applejack would be lying if she said otherwise. Despite his forgetful nature, menial tasks like bucking trees and plowing the fields went quickly with him. On top of that he did the domestic things that Aj hated with ease and that left Aj with just a bit more time for herself. Only problem was that she had nothing to do with it.

There she sat, under a shady apple tree, thinking of chores she could do with no results. Caramel had done just about everything, and was currently helping granny patch up an old quilt on the porch. Applejack didn't mind spending the time with granny, in fact that's the only reason she'd ever help with sewing, but the tedious tasked annoyed and angered her immensely and she'd rather be a little lazy than do it if granny already had some help. The thought of sewing made her think of a certain fashion conscience unicorn.

Applejack shrugged and got up from her comfortable spot to make the trek to Rarity's boutique.

. . .

"So darling, I must inquire as to what brought this on?" said Rarity as she combed the tangles out of Aj's mane.

"Just felt like a visit was all and you're always bugging me about my hair so…" Applejack said nonchalantly, eyes closed as she enjoyed the combing.

"Hm, weren't there chores to be done? After all, that was your usual excuse..." Rarity said the slightest hint of bitterness in her tone.

Her meaning was not lost on Applejack. She and Rarity were great friends as children and did everything together. They had many sleep overs filled with giggling and talking, sharing secrets and dreams...but after the death of Aj's parents, all of that changed...

"No, Caramel did everything so I thought I'd pay you a visit since I hadn't in a while," Aj said, her voice dripping with meek sweetness.

"...Wait, did you say Caramel? Come to the bowl darling," Rarity said, ushering Applejack to the bowl.

"Mhm, he's workin' on the farm and stayin' with us for a while," Applejack said innocently, sitting down and leaning back into the bowl.

"When did this sudden change happen?" Rarity said, turning on the water with her magic, and setting the work of washing Applejack's hair.

"'Bout a week ago…" Applejack said guiltily

Rarity said nothing, but the rough vigor of her magic washing Applejack's mane said it all.

"...If it helps, you're the first and only one who knows..."

Rarity's magic became a bit gentler.

"Why?" She said shortly.

"Well to be honest, I was bored with nothing to do-" Aj was cut off by Rarity.

"No not why you came here, why is he staying with you? Doesn't he have a marefriend?" Rarity said as she rinsed the shampoo from her hair and took some conditioner from the shelf.

"Had a marefriend, she cheated on him," Applejack said, being careful to keep the explanation to bare facts.

"Oh well isn't that just terrible! Poor Caramel! He was always so sweet when we were children, a perfect gentlecolt! Now some hussy has broken his heart, what a shame!" Rarity said as she worked the conditioner through Aj's mane.

"Mhm," Aj agreed, letting her go on.

"...but of course I guess it's for the best," Rarity said coyly.

"How you figure that?" Applejack said as Rarity began to rinse the conditioner out.

"Well when one door closes, another one opens and it seems like yours opened for Caramel..."

Applejack mentally bit her tongue, lest she say some things she'd regret.

"Now you of all ponies should know it's not like that," Applejack said in a curt tone as Rarity wrapped a towel around her head.

"You're right Applejack, I should know better and I do, the question is...do you?" Rarity said slyly.

"What nonsense are you sproutin' out now?" Applejack said, annoyance clear in her tone as Rarity towel dried her mane and ushered her back to her original seat.

"Applejack, don't insult me by pretending you have forgotten all those years in grade school, and Caramel's blatant adoration of you. We were foals and the poor colt was already mad in love!" Rarity said dramatically.

"That's just it! We were foals! He grew up, and out of love with me a long time ago," Applejack said distantly as Rarity began to comb and clip her mane.

"...Applejack, if you knew what I knew, you'd know just how far from truth that is..." Rarity said, her face unreadable.

"So what are you tellin' me Rarity...?"

"Just be...careful. Caramel did just have his heart broken, and the soft company of an old love and good friend are just what he'll fall for and if you find you don't feel the same...the damage could be...un-repairable."

Applejack said nothing. The rest of the visit was spent in silence.

**Ok, let me explain this chapter. Me and a friend have this theory that Rarity and Applejack were super close before they got their cutie marks, and stopped being so because Applejack became more focused on farm work than hanging out with Rarity. So yeah…also I wanted to show how Caramel feels/felt/might still feel about Aj and I thought it'd be to cliché if I had him deal with it himself so I had Rarity do it! Finally, I would like to thank everyone who reads my dribble for supporting and critiquing it! Your reviews mean a lot and I'm truly grateful!**

**Sincerely, DangerousD**


	5. Chapter 5

**Please read closing note, thank you :)**

**Acceptance!**

It was a beautiful late evening as Applejack made her way up the dirt path to the old farm house, her head a buzz with odd questions and feelings. This was all Rarity's fault, or at least that's who Aj wanted blame, but deep down she knew that she was right. If Caramel did get it in his head that he cared for her that way, there wouldn't be a kind way to tell him she didn't feel the same...there wasn't really a kind way to stop him either, but it might hurt less to do so.

"Why does this have to be so hard...?" Aj thought aloud as she stopped half way up the path.

She didn't want to do it, to break his heart before he even started to feel something, but breaking it later would just hurt more...why did she even have to break it at all? A fluttering warmth filled Applejack's stomach and rose to her cheeks as a thought occurred to her. She didn't have to stop him, or break his heart, she could just...

"Love him back?" Aj whispered into the wind that cooled her heated face as she slowly made it to the house, a new and slightly frightening mission ahead of her.

**. . .**

Caramel was making supper, his head full of his own, less concerning thoughts when he heard the front door open and shut. He turned his head to see Applejack standing at the door, her flushed face and loose hair sending odd but familiar pangs to his heart.

"Y-you went to Rarity's?" He mused, knowing her hoof work when he saw it.

Aj nodded mutely as she made her way to sit at the kitchen table.

"Um, it looks nice," He said thoughtfully, waiting for her response.

"Thank you, Caramel," She said, not meeting his gaze.

He just stared at her, and would have kept staring if it weren't for the timer on the oven going off.

"What are you making?" Applejack said shyly.

"Apple pie."

"Smells good."

"Thank you."

Caramel sat the pie on the table in front of her, where a salad and nothing else lay.

"Um, Caramel?" Applejack said her brow furrowed.

"Yeah?" Caramel said, sitting down across from her.

"This is nice and all, but this ain't nearly enough to feed five ponies, especially not big Mac"

"Oh, that's cause it's just you and me," Caramel said sheepishly.

"Oh...wait, where is everybody?" Aj said, confused.

"Granny Smith went to bingo at the retirement home and Apple bloom went to Sweetie belle's for a sleep over with her and Scootaloo."

"And what about big Mac?"

"Oh he left a while ago, didn't tell me where..."

"Figures, he's missed every supper this week," Applejack said sadly, fixing herself some salad.

Caramel hated to see her that way, looking sad and disappointed. Aj worked so hard, the least she deserved was to come home and have a nice supper with her family. He wished there was something he could do to make it up to her...

"Hey Applejack..." Caramel said, looking at her thoughtfully.

"Hmm," she said through a mouthful of salad.

"Would you like to go out?"

Applejack's face flushed as she slowly chewed and swallowed. She'd already decided that she'd accept Caramel if he showed any affection, and she'd return it too, but she hadn't expected it so quickly. Then again, it had been weeks since his break up and they were getting on so well since he'd started working on the farm again. Who knows, this night alone could have been a well concocted plan for him to be able to ask her out. Applejack's face flushed even more.

"Well Applejack, what do you say?" Caramel said with an expectant smile.

"...Alright Caramel, let's go."

**So sorry this took so long! I have no real excuse except for laziness and my need for perfection! Is this perfect? Probably not, but I think it's pretty good and leaves you with a general idea of what next chapter will be like… Also, I'd like to write another story, but me have no ideas :( so I'm gonna leave it up to YOU! If there's a pairing, or anything you'd like to see, I'll try my best at writing it! Just keep in mind that I am a huge Twimac shipper (it's not even FUNNY how much I love them), I am not biased to writing fluttermac's or anything else…but you can understand that it might be hard! Also I'm good with same gender! So…command me!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Dear readers,**

**Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! For reading my crap, and waiting so patiently for updates! I have most of the next chapter for 'Brighter than the sun', I just want is to be perfect and I got a little writers'' block. I don't really know where that story is going, but I know I want at least five more chapters before I put it to bed. I have a good idea where 'Perfect Family' is going, but I'm not going to lie, I've barely even started on the next chapter. I blame my need for perfection, and my new obsession, but I promise I will finish those stories! If I'm gone for a while, know that I haven't given up and if I do(which I won't) I will put those stories up for adoption or tell you they're discontinued...but it won't come to that!**

**Sincerely,**

**DangerousD**


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